 Brunhilde by Árpád Basch, 1900. | |
| Gender | Female |
|---|---|
| Origin | |
| Word/name | Germanic |
| Meaning | "battle armor" |
| Other names | |
| Related names | Brunhild, Brünhild, Brunehilde, Brunhilda, Brunhilde, Brunilda, Brünnhilde, Brynhild, Brynhilda, Brynhildr, and Brynhildur [1] |
Brunhilde is a German feminine given name, derived from a combination of the Germanic word elements brun, or armor , and hild, or battle. The Valkyrie Brunhild is a heroine of Germanic heroic legend. [2]
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Variants in regular use include the Albanian, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish Brunilda and Brunilde; the Norwegian Brynhild ; and the Icelandic Brynhildur .
Brunhilde was in regular use for girls in Germany from the late 19th century through the 1960s, a time period when romantic German nationalism was in vogue and the names of idealized heroines such as Brunhild from Germanic heroic legend became more popular. [3] Brünhild was also a character in Richard Wagner's four-part opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen , which became popular world-wide in the late 1800s.